Vintage sheet orphan becomes pajamas….

One task I always try to get done in the summer is a clean up/clear out. And this year, the sheets for our bed needed reorganizing. In the 20 plus years we have been married, I have never bought sheets – instead, my mother in law and grandmother have kept my in supply when they have cleaned and downsized.In one such gift, I was given this orphan twin sized sheet, which my boys would not want on their beds, and which I just keep storing. This summer, I decided I needed to also sew myself some new pajamas.

The eyelet cuff on the sheet was something I wanted to preserve – so I planned to use it as the hem end of the pj bottoms.

When taking on a project like this, it is important to lay out your pieces and make sure you have plenty of fabric for the project – I did – and consider any changes you make to the pattern. I chose to use already hemmed areas so I would not have to hem, but also chose to cut out the pattern as if I DID need to hem so I could gain some length. These are areas where you have to remember facings and such – consider all the pieces that must go together.

Finished pants….with their eyelet cuff.

I used Simplicity 1951, which is a modern pattern. I was just a tad ambitious with the recent weight loss, and made them a wee bit too small – they fit, and I am currently typing this while wearing the bottoms, but another 5 lbs loss of weight will be just the thing.

The pattern was an easy one to sew. I like the breezy nature of the top, and the elastic at the back. The straps were a bit fiddly for my taste, but it is always hard to fit oneself with this sort of thing.

Finished set

I just love the cool feel of sheets as pjs – and in this NC heatwave, the clean sheets are feeling great to a mom who spent the weekend camping in Virginia during a very bad, very windy storm – but that is a scary take for another time. Off to relax!